Def Leppard will soon release their 12th full-length album, "Diamond Star Halos."
After years of being away from the music scene, Def Leppard finally completed their 12th full-length album, "Diamond Star Halos," which is due to be released in May. It will be their first project since 2015, and it will be the living proof that the quintet paid massive efforts to complete it while being away from their studio due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a video chat with USA Today, Joe Elliot revealed that his band members were scheduled to go to his studio to work on the new album. However, the COVID-19 pandemic kept them away from each other. He also revealed a surprise about their new album.
Per Elliot, one song among the 15 tracks features Alison Krauss.
"We've known Alison for a long time. She's a big fan. And a lot of people don't realize that when we worked with (producer) Mutt (Lange), a lot of the harmonies had a bit of a country tinge to them...I was texting with Robert Plant about soccer when he asked what we were up to and he said, 'Alison is going to love this because you're her favorite band,'" he recalled.
He then texted the singer and asked her if she wanted to sing on one of Def Leppard's music. Krauss reportedly texted him back after 30 minutes saying she could "not pick one" since she loved both.
After a few moments, the Def Leppard and Krauss' collaboration had been secured.
Def Leppard Survived COVID-19 Pandemic
While most bands went on hiatus amid the pandemic, Def Leppard continued working despite the members being away from each other.
"Everyone was due to come to my studio in Dublin the day lockdown kicked in. We made the decision to record remotely because we had no option. We had seven songs to start with and we wrote eight more and not once did we see each other," he said.
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Elliot noted that his recent media gatherings with bassist Rick Savage and Phil Collen were actually the first time they had seen each other in person in more than two years. Still, the members reportedly kept in touch with each other and spoke on the phone more often than they did in the past 40 years.
According to the singer, they communicated in an old-fashion way - calls and e-mails. Never did the band reportedly try Zoom.
Amid the dark times, he quipped that they were working while guitarist Vivian Campbell and drummer Rick Allen were sleeping in the U.S., and vice versa. Because of the time zone, it was like they were working for 20 hours a day.
But after all those hardships, it will be all worth it with the coming of their new album.
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